FORGOTTEN TALES - Other Times (CD)

Canadian melodic power metal band Forgotten Tales return with “Other Times”, their fourth full-length album and first new record following a 15-year hiatus. Founded in Québec City in 1999 by guitarist and songwriter Martin Desharnais and vocalist Sonia Pineault, the band developed its identity around the European power metal tradition, combining strong melodies, technical guitar work, expressive vocals and detailed arrangements. Their previous albums - “The Promise” (2001), “All the Sinners” (2004) and “We Shall See the Light” (2010) - reached international markets, while performances alongside Nightwish, Edguy, Gamma Ray, Kamelot, DragonForce, Sonata Arctica, HammerFall and Stratovarius established the band within the international power metal circuit.

“Other Times” reconnects Forgotten Tales with those roots while introducing a more direct and contemporary approach. Where earlier releases relied more heavily on keyboards, orchestral arrangements and symphonic elements, the new album places the guitars firmly at the centre of the sound. Fast riffing, harmonized leads, double-kick drumming, layered choirs and memorable vocal melodies provide the foundation with progressive influences adding variety to the arrangements and song structures.

Symphonic elements remain part of the band's vocabulary - most notably in the orchestral opening piece “Echoes” - but are used selectively to support the songs rather than define them.
The interplay between guitarists Martin Desharnais and Marc-Olivier Lavoie is a defining element of the record moving between harmonized leads, contrasting rhythm parts and technical solos. At the centre of the arrangements is Sonia Pineault whose performance combines the melodic character associated with Forgotten Tales with a particularly intense and emotionally direct delivery. Together, the renewed line-up gives the band's established sound a sharper, more immediate character without losing its melodic identity.

Much of “Other Times” was written during the COVID years when isolation and uncertainty provided the backdrop for a period of personal and social reflection. Rather than following a single narrative, the album examines different aspects of human experience, including self-doubt, anxiety, insomnia, misinformation, fractured relationships, loyalty, missed opportunities and personal growth. Change, resilience and the passage of time connect these individual subjects and ultimately provide the thematic foundation for the album's title.

The ten-track sequence reflects this range both musically and lyrically. After the cinematic introduction “Echoes”, “Pessimus Inimicus” delivers the album's fastest and most intense performance, translating the struggle with anxiety and self-sabotage into relentless tempos and intricate guitar work. “A Thousand Lies” addresses misinformation through shifting tempos, dual-guitar harmonies and an immediate melodic chorus, and has been selected as a promotional single supported by an official performance video.

Elsewhere, the seven-minute “Pain Of The Century” brings the band's progressive influences to the foreground through tempo changes, complex rhythmic sections and an extended arrangement centred on the experience of generalized anxiety. “Morpheus” turns chronic insomnia into a high-speed power metal track built around a recurring ticking-clock motif, while the title track “Other Times” broadens the album's perspective from personal struggles to questions of social change, communication and individual responsibility. Closing track “The Caravan” takes a different route - a seven-minute power ballad that moves from dark choral and acoustic passages towards a full-band climax, ending the album with a message about overcoming hesitation and acting before opportunities pass.

“Other Times” was produced by Martin Desharnais and Union Metal International. Desharnais recorded the instruments other than drums at MartyTales Studio, with the drums recorded by Sylvain Marquis at Sleeping Mexican Studio. Marquis also handled the mix while Benoit Fecteau mastered the album at 630 Mastering. Former Forgotten Tales keyboardist Frédérick Desroches returns as a guest to compose and perform “Echoes”, creating a direct link between the band's earlier history and its new chapter.

With its balance of established power metal characteristics, modern production and a renewed line-up, “Other Times” is positioned for both longtime followers of Forgotten Tales and listeners discovering the band for the first time. For fans of Rhapsody, Angra and Stratovarius, the album offers a melodic and technically accomplished return from a band whose history is closely connected to the genre's European tradition.

MARKETING & PROMOTION / SELLING POINTS

- Fourth full-length album by Canadian melodic power metal band Forgotten Tales, marking their return after a 15-year hiatus
- For fans of Rhapsody, Angra and Stratovarius